ETOBICOKE, Ontario, CMC – Ace Barbadian reinsman Patrick Husbands again proved his quality when he got Paramount Prince to reign supreme in the CAN $175 000 featured Seagram Cup Stakes on Saturday at the Woodbine racetrack in Canada.
It was the 50-year-old’s 10th stakes win this season—which opened on April 27 and closes on December 15—at the main racing facility in Canada, and it enabled him to maintain a place in the top 10 of the jockeys’ standings.
The soon-to-be Canadian Hall of Famer is now sixth in the standing, on 25 wins, but he has been taking it easy in the saddle this term, except in the feature races, where he has continued to make the connections of his mounts happy.
Husbands drove Paramount Prince to win by a comfortable 5-1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Seagram Cup for three-year-olds and upward over 1 700 meters on the all-weather track with the four-year-old, chestnut gelding clocking one minute, 43.37 seconds.
“He’s having so much fun right now,” the Husbands said. He’s enjoying everything coming over here and growing up; he’s getting bigger and bigger.
“He’s the type of horse with a high cruising speed. He’s just got one ear forward and one ear back. You can play with him; the more you push him, the faster he goes. He’s turned out to be a nice horse.”
Husbands hustled the 5-4 favorite to the front soon after the gates opened, and Paramount Prince left from the outside post in the eight-horse field, with Stanley House, under Jose Campos, settled into second, followed by Volcanic, ridden by Rafael Hernandez, and County Final, with Trevor McCarthy aboard.
Paramount Prince was in front of Stanley House by two lengths through the opening quarter, which took 24.69 seconds, and held the same advantage at the half, which took 48.81 seconds.
Heading into the turn for the finish, Stanley House increased the pressure to the outside of Paramount Prince, but the winner of last year’s King Plater, under a bit of urging from Husbands, dashed away from his rivals early in the final straight.
and then 